Chapter 70: "Polaris" Begins Filming

The four of them sat around the table, and Shu Yiran appeared rather uneasy.

"Yiran, order whatever you like," Lin Xi said, handing the menu to him.

Shu Yiran glanced hesitantly at his elder sister, Shu Yunyi. Only when she nodded did he dare reach out and accept it.

Lin Xi caught this and smiled, exclaiming, "Yunyi, your family certainly raised you well!"

Shu Yunyi simply smiled lightly without responding.

In just the time it took to share a meal, Lin Xi’s affection for this younger brother of hers rose rapidly.

That afternoon, filming for "Polaris" began. All the modern sets had been constructed at Jinghong Garden—the heroine’s bedroom, the gaming training room, and the club were all separated by just a wall, making set changes extremely convenient.

A few actors chatted while waiting for their scenes. Apart from Shu Yunyi, Lin Xi wasn’t particularly familiar with the others, so she stuck to Yunyi, chatting with her, while Lu Yuxiu simply stood silently by her side.

But Fan Haoxuan couldn’t contain his excitement and eagerly approached Lu Yuxiu. "God Xiu, God Xiu, I never imagined I’d get to act with you! You’re practically a legend in my mind! Now I’m right next to you, I’m about to faint!"

Lu Yuxiu’s lips twitched at his words, while Lin Xi and Shu Yunyi stifled their laughter nearby—this guy was truly something else.

"I must have saved the galaxy in my past life!" he joked again.

Lin Xi raised her eyebrows; it seemed life on this set would never be dull—here was someone even more amusing than Jiang He.

However, she’d heard from Miya that although Fan Haoxuan debuted as an idol, his background was far from simple.

The first scene was set in the club. The male lead, Qin Zexing, and the second male lead, Shang Zhe, were captain and member of the country’s top team—T&K.

Everyone on set was ready. Lin Xi wore a light, casual dress, while Lu Yuxiu wore a matching couple’s outfit in the same color palette—his club shirt thrown loosely over his shoulders.

Shu Yunyi was dressed in a chic, mature office style, and Fan Haoxuan, as the second male lead, waited nearby in team gear.

"Everyone checked and ready? All departments, prepare!" Yan Mei called, seated behind the camera at the doorway, while executive director Su Chen gave directions on set.

Lu Yuxiu played Qin Zexing (T&K team captain, the undefeated legend).
Lin Xi played Mu Beibei (gaming commentator, goddess of the otaku crowd).
Fan Haoxuan played Shang Zhe (T&K team member).
Shu Yunyi played Jiang Yuan’er (T&K team manager).

"Action!"

The camera focused on the profiles of Qin Zexing and Shang Zhe, both sitting in their seats, phones in hand, fingers flying as they manipulated their game avatars.

Shang Zhe’s face was alight with excitement, while Qin Zexing maintained a calm, faint smile.

"Quick, quick, there’s one left—don’t let it escape!"

Soon, the phone’s sound effects rang out: "…Quadra kill, Penta kill!"—a four-kill, then a five-kill.

"Nice!" Shang Zhe shot Qin Zexing an approving look.

"Aced! Team wipe!" came the final sound, and Qin Zexing’s hands finally stilled.

"Not bad at all—our god is truly a god, even as a support he lands a pentakill! Incredible!" Shang Zhe gave him a big thumbs-up.

Qin Zexing lifted an eyebrow, a hint of nonchalance in his expression. "Basic skills."

Watching from the wings, Lin Xi nodded to herself. He was nailing his character—good, another seed planted for later.

"Beibei, cue in," a crew member whispered.

Lin Xi swiftly adjusted her state, walked in with small steps, carrying a bag, her smile sweet—the very picture of Mu Beibei.

"Hey, here comes our Captain Qin’s wife!" Shang Zhe spotted her first.

"Ow—" The other young men in the club whooped and hollered.

"Goddess, goddess!"
"Wow, wow!"

"Hello," Mu Beibei greeted them cheerfully, then walked naturally to Qin Zexing’s side.

Qin Zexing smiled tenderly, taking her hand, and the crowd of onlookers erupted in noisy protest.

"I brought you guys snacks," Mu Beibei said, blushing as she handed the bag to Shang Zhe.

Shang Zhe played along, taking it and turning to address the others: "Alright, alright, give the couple some privacy! Don’t you have training?"

He exaggeratedly winked at his teammates.

"Ohhh," everyone caught on instantly and vanished from the scene.

"Well? Am I thoughtful or what?" Mu Beibei’s smile blossomed as she looked at Qin Zexing.

Qin Zexing grinned, stretched out his long legs, scooted his chair back, and patted his lap, signaling for her to sit.

Mu Beibei glanced around furtively to make sure they were alone, then quietly perched on his knee, looping her arms around his neck.

The two whispered intimately, faces drawing closer and closer, lips about to meet—when a voice interrupted.

"Zexing, how’s training going?" a bright female voice called from the doorway.

Like they’d been shocked, Mu Beibei leapt from Qin Zexing’s lap and stood to the side.

Jiang Yuan’er entered with an easy stride, asking as she walked, "Have you all eaten?"

She stepped into the training room and froze for a second, coming face-to-face with Mu Beibei. The two exchanged glances, then turned away in unison.

Suppressing the awkwardness on her face, Jiang Yuan’er put on a polite smile, continued inside as if nothing had happened, and nodded amiably at Mu Beibei.

"Beibei-ci, I’ve heard of you for a long time but never met you in person," Jiang Yuan’er said, extending her hand gracefully.

Mu Beibei smiled brightly and shook her hand. "Hello, Team Leader Jiang."

At this moment, Qin Zexing stood and put his arm around Mu Beibei’s waist, introducing her to Jiang Yuan’er. "This is my girlfriend, Mu Beibei, also known as Beibei-ci."

Jiang Yuan’er smiled coolly at them. "I’ve known for a while from online that our e-sport star is dating Beibei-ci, but I’ve been away on business and couldn’t meet you until now."

Mu Beibei answered sweetly, "Thank you for looking after Zexing, Team Leader," sharing a smile with Qin Zexing.

To Jiang Yuan’er, the scene was a painful sight, but she had no grounds to comment—she simply looked away and quietly left.

"Good, that’s a take!" Yan Mei’s voice came through the walkie-talkie. "Great job, everyone—keep it up."

"Thank you, Director!" The actors applauded and bowed as they exited the scene.

Lin Xi’s hand was held by Lu Yuxiu. Since they were still on set, she tried to pull away discreetly but couldn’t, and could only glare at him in helpless protest.

"Hey, look at that, isn’t this too much?" Fan Haoxuan had somehow ended up beside Shu Yunyi, nudging her with his shoulder as he stared at the couple across from them.

He pouted. "You’ve got it rough—off-screen you have to endure their public displays, and on-screen you’re tortured by them too. Tsk, tsk."

"Hey! Don’t bully our Yunyi!" Lin Xi stepped in protectively, linking arms with Shu Yunyi and shoving Fan Haoxuan aside.

"Come on, you and God Xiu are the ones torturing us single folks," Fan Haoxuan muttered under his breath.

Assistant director Su Chen shot Fan Haoxuan a cold, emotionless look and said, "Scene change. Actors, touch up your makeup."

Fan Haoxuan felt a chill run down his spine, rubbed his nose awkwardly, and replied, "Alright."

"Let’s go." The four stopped joking around and headed to the waiting area.

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Since being put in her place by Lin Xi last time, Jiang Ziqi had been racking her brains for ways to smear and slander her online. She’d been busy these past two days cozying up to Qiao Zongmin, hoping to use his influence to suppress Lin Xi and make things difficult for her.

Qiao Zongmin was, after all, the head of Yangang Entertainment. Though he was no match for Xingchen, he could still put pressure on Lin Xi, the nominal "little princess," even if it only meant buying negative press about her—he found it satisfying enough.

Qiao Zongmin would respond to her requests, enjoying her attentions, but in his heart, he looked down on her—how could such a newly debuted actress require his personal intervention? To him, Jiang Ziqi was simply incompetent.

But lately, he’d had little energy for such trivial matters. For some reason, Starlight Group had been poaching Yangang’s resources nonstop lately. It made no sense—why would a powerhouse like Starlight care about the resources Yangang could touch?

Qiao Zongmin racked his brain but couldn’t figure out where the problem lay.

"President Qiao—" Jiang Ziqi sat on his lap, seductive and fawning. "Are you listening to me or not? That Lin Xi is just too arrogant!"

Qiao Zongmin lounged on the sofa, his beer belly protruding, lips curled in a careless smile, looking utterly indifferent.

Jiang Ziqi was used to this, and tried harder, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Lin Xi thinks she’s the Starlight Princess and doesn’t care about anyone. She knows I have you behind me and still dares to provoke me—she’s clearly not giving you any respect and is slapping you in the face publicly."

At these words, Qiao Zongmin finally glanced at her. He’d heard of this goddaughter of Master Gu, and Starlight would certainly support her. Still, this little princess was getting too arrogant, even daring to disregard him, Qiao Zongmin.

It seemed she really did need a lesson—otherwise, she’d run wild in the entertainment industry.

Qiao Zongmin gave a cold laugh, his hand trailing along Jiang Ziqi’s bare back, his eyes darkening.

Jiang Ziqi had once been Yangang’s uncontested leading lady, but fame made her arrogant and irritable. When her "pure goddess" persona collapsed and her attempt to reinvent herself failed, she gradually faded from the spotlight and was dubbed the "queen of career crashes," unable to regain her stardom. The company shifted its focus to others.

Without prospects, Jiang Ziqi threw herself at Qiao Zongmin—something not uncommon in show business. Of course, he hadn’t refused her, and kept her as his mistress, giving her some resources here and there.

Jiang Ziqi didn’t think about any of this. Seeing Qiao Zongmin’s indifferent expression, she grew pleased, knowing he was agreeing to step in.

She was thrilled—after suffering twice at Lin Xi’s hands, she could finally vent her anger. So she lowered her head, redoubling her efforts to please him.

The next day, all kinds of negative stories about Lin Xi exploded across the front pages of major websites, spreading like wildfire.

Every kind of fabricated scandal appeared.

"Lin Xi acts like a diva on set." "Lin Xi is unprofessional, uses multiple stand-ins for one scene." "Lin Xi photoshops her face."

Worse still: "Lin Xi had plastic surgery abroad." "Lin Xi seduces executives for roles." "Lin Xi uses her status as a goddaughter to get close to Gu Ting."

It was all beyond outrageous.

When Lin Xi got the news, she was still filming. Zhou Xin called her and told her not to say anything for now.

Lin Xi looked at the flood of rumors online, at a loss for words—she couldn’t even begin to comment.

Clearly, someone had paid to spread these stories and target her. She could even guess who was behind it. Still, she had to admire that person’s ability—to actually persuade Mr. Qiao to oppose Starlight directly.

Online, countless onlookers watched with excitement, saying it was all too dramatic—one moment, the Starlight Princess was the darling of the industry, the next she was being bombarded with hate.

But Lin Xi’s devoted fans began fighting back against the marketing accounts, and even some Lin Xi and Lu Yuxiu CP shippers joined in, determined to defend her and seek justice.